Study on Characteristics of Triterpenoids and Hepatoprotective Effects of Fruit Body of Stout Camphor Mushroom, Taiwanofungus camphoratus (Agaricomycetes), Cultivated with Apple-Wood.

Abstract

Taiwanofungus camphoratus is a parasite medicinal fungus with significant hepatoprotective activity that grows in Cinnamomum camphora, a class II protected tree species in Taiwan. Currently, commercial cultivation of T. camphoratus is limited by the resources of C. camphora. To broaden the range of substrates, this study investigated the feasibility of using apple-wood as a substrate for T. camphoratus cultivation and examined the content of fruit body triterpenoids and liver-protective activity as quality indicators. The triterpenoids were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and compared with T. camphoratus cultivated in C. camphora. The ICR mouse acute alcoholic liver injury model was used to explore the hepatoprotective effects of the apple-wood cultivated fungus. T. camphoratus grew on apple-wood medium within 7 months; a total of 62 fungal triterpenoid components were detected, including the seven characteristic triterpenoids. Only three were higher in T. camphoratus cultured on C. camphora. The medium-dose fungal extracts (150 mg/kg) produced significant protective effects against acute alcoholic liver injury in mice. These results indicate that apple-wood cultivation is a feasible method compared to C. camphora for commercial cultivation of T. camphoratus.